Officials: Suspect in Pelosi Attack Was on a 'Suicide Mission' and Had More Targets

This report contains corrections.

The man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home, attacking her husband and seeking to kidnap her told police he was on a "suicide mission" and had plans to target other California and federal politicians, according to a Tuesday court filing.

During an arraignment Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court David DePape's public defender entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. It was DePape's first public appearance since the early morning Friday attack.

In the court filing, prosecutors detailed the attack in stark terms as part of their bid to keep DePape, 42, behind bars. Paul Pelosi was knocked unconscious by the hammer attack and woke up in a pool of his own blood, the filing said.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, "This was a targeted attack. This was not a random residential burglary. He specifically sought out their home. He sought out the speaker."

Court documents revealed that without being questioned, DePape told officers and medics at the scene that he was sick of the "lies coming out of Washington, D.C."

"I didn't really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission," said DePape to officials. "I'm not going to stand here and do nothing, even if it cost me my life."

He allegedly also told Paul Pelosi, "Well, she's No. 2 in line for the presidency, right?" referring to Speaker Pelosi. He added, "We've got to take them all out."

DePape allegedly told first responders he had other targets, including a local professor as well as several prominent state and federal politicians and members of their families. The filing did not name any potential targets.

Wearing orange jail clothing and with his right arm in a sling, DePape spoke during his arraignment only to tell Judge Diane Northway how to pronounce his last name (dih-PAP'), and that he agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial.

Judge Northway set Friday as a date to consider whether or not DePape is eligible for bail, and to set subsequent hearing dates. On Tuesday, Jenkins also sought, and was granted, a protective order to keep DePape away from Nancy and Paul Pelosi and their household, in case DePape is released on bail.

After the hearing, DePape's public defender Adam Lipson said he looks forward to providing him with a "vigorous legal defense." He said his client's shoulder was dislocated during the arrest.

"We're going to be doing a comprehensive investigation of what happened. We're going to be looking into Mr. DePape's mental state, and I'm not going to talk any further about that until I have more information," Lipson said.

Lipson mentioned the public speculation about DePape's "vulnerability to misinformation," referring to revelations of DePape's blogs that embrace right-wing conspiracy theories like QAnon and said it's something he is "going to look into."

He later said he was pleased that Paul Pelosi was improving and urged the public not to pass judgment on what he called "a complicated situation."

The attack on 82-year-old Paul Pelosi sent shock waves through the political world just days before the hotly contested midterm elections. Threats against lawmakers and election officials have been at all-time highs in this first nationwide election since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, and authorities have issued warnings about rising extremism in the U.S.

DePape faces state charges of attempted murder, burglary and elder abuse. He also faces federal charges including attempted kidnapping of a U.S. official.

While prosecutors have not offered a timeline of events preceding the Friday attack, Jenkins previously said that the attack appeared premeditated.

"This was not something that he did at the spur of the moment," she told The Associated Press on Monday.

The court filing said DePape smashed his shoulder through a glass window early Friday in the back of the Pelosi's Pacific Heights home and awakened a sleeping Paul Pelosi.

"Are you Paul Pelosi?" DePape said, standing over him around 2 a.m. holding a hammer and zip ties. He repeatedly asked, "Where's Nancy?"

Pelosi told DePape that his wife was not home and would be gone for several days. DePape then allegedly threatened to tie Paul Pelosi up — the first of 10 such threats, the filing says.

Paul Pelosi was eventually able to call 911 from the home's bathroom, where his cellphone was charging. While Pelosi was speaking to the dispatcher, DePape was gesturing and telling Pelosi to hang up, the filing said.

Pelosi then told the dispatcher that he did not need police, fire or medical assistance but instead asked "for the Capitol Police because they are usually at the house protecting his wife."

Moments later, the dispatcher heard him interacting with a man and Paul Pelosi said, "Uh, he thinks everything's good. Uh, I've got a problem, but he thinks everything's good."

Two officers who arrived at the home witnessed DePape hit Pelosi with the hammer at least once, striking him in the head, the filing states. Jenkins has said the assault was captured on the officers' body cameras.

Speaker Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., at the time and under the protection of her security detail, which does not extend to family members. She quickly returned to San Francisco, where her husband was hospitalized and underwent surgery for a skull fracture and other injuries.

In Washington, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger provided an update on Tuesday of security protocols for members of Congress.

Manger said that although many improvements have been made since the Capitol attack, including a goal to hire nearly 280 officers by the end of this year, "there is still a lot of work to do."

"We believe today's political climate calls for more resources to provide additional layers of physical security for members of Congress," he said.

Manger said the attack on Pelosi's husband was "an alarming reminder of the dangerous threats elected officials and public figures face during today's contentious political climate."

KQED's Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez and Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Michael Balsamo contributed to this story.

Nov. 2: An earlier version of this report erroneously named San Francisco Superior Court Judge A. Marisa Chun in addition to Judge Diane Northway. Only Judge Northway was involved in the arraignment. An earlier version also stated that DePape was ordered held without bail; DePape is being held without bail pending additional hearings.